Yesterday I had the opportunity to question President Biden's top energy advisors: June 17, 2022 Questioning Biden's Department of Energy Yesterday I had the opportunity to question President Biden's top energy advisors: The Honorable Andrew Light, Ph.D. (Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, Department of Energy), Mr. Harry Kamian (Senior Bureau Official and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State) and Mr. Jake Levine (Chief Climate Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation). I demanded answers from the DoE on the lack of an energy security plan and hostile actions towards reliable energy during a global energy crisis. I also called for expansion of U.S. oil and gas production, approval of LNG export permits, and expanded approval for critical energy infrastructure. Unfortunately, the hearing only further proved the evident disconnect within the Biden Administration. America needs a CLEAR and CONSISTENT energy policy. President Biden must accept we are in an energy expansion, not a transition. Only then will we be able to ensure our energy dominance and security for a decade to come. Click here to watch the full line of questioning where I press the Biden advisors for real answers. The System is Blinking Red As an F-22 pilot in the U.S. Air Force and someone who served abroad in many different theaters, I spent my entire professional career looking at threats that were facing the United States—specifically focused on foreign terrorists. While deployed to the Middle East fighting directly against ISIS, I saw and witnessed the tragedies and atrocities that terrorist organizations are capable of—as well as their appetite for spreading those horrors around the globe. I am afraid that our open southern border has allowed terror groups to take major strides in their attempts to strike our homeland. Just today, reports came out that 15 possible terrorists have been caught at the southern border in only ONE month. How many more are in the nearly 500,000 who got away in the past nine months alone? This number would still be hidden from the American public if not for the efforts of Congressman John Katko and myself to force the Biden Administration to publish the number of Known and Suspected Terrorists (KSTs) apprehended along the border. Read more about this legislation here. After the deadly attacks on September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission was set up to examine why our intelligence community failed to thwart the attack. Former CIA director George Tenet told the commission that so many warning signs for potential terrorist attacks were going off that “the system was blinking red.” I am afraid it is blinking red yet again. Click here or below to watch me sound the alarm bells to the House Homeland Security Committee during the Hearing on "Current Status of ISIS and al Qaeda", in advance of an in-depth conversation about the current threats our country faces. Update on Illegal Migrant Bus Drop-Offs in San Angelo Last Wednesday, June 8th, my office uncovered that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was considering dropping off buses of illegal migrants in San Angelo, Texas. After I went public with the news, Border Patrol officials told me that they do not plan to bus illegal immigrants to San Angelo at this time. I will remain vigilant for the security of our local community. San Angelo is a welcoming community, but the locality has not volunteered for this mission, nor are they responsible for the burdens of the border crisis. This situation is a direct result of DHS' shortsighted policies that encourage more illegal immigration and the agency's failure to establish operational control of the southern border. I sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas demanding answers on what his department's process is for selecting migrant drop-off locations and notifying local communities. If President Biden is going to encourage illegal immigration, he should send migrants to Sanctuary Cities that welcome illegal immigration. Not the 11th District of Texas. Read more here. Welcoming our Newest U.S. Citizens Twenty-nine new U.S. Citizens were sworn in during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Federal Courthouse this week in San Angelo. My office was privileged to help five of these new Americans earn their citizenship the right way. Congratulations to all these new U.S. Citizens. If you know of anyone in need of help with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Visa Applications, or the Passport Bureau, please reach out to my office here. Standing up for Permian Basin Producers President Biden refuses to take responsibility for any of the crises his policies have driven our country into: from skyrocketing price hikes to the horrible border crisis, high gas prices, and more. He always manages to find someone else to blame. In the case of the $5/gallon national average cost for gasoline, he is choosing to blame our oil & gas producers and refiners.  The American people aren’t buying it. Candidate Biden promised to kill American energy dominance, and President Biden is following through. Click here or below to watch my conversation with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business defending the producers operating at record levels against the President's latest attacks. Critical Minerals The United States is currently dependent on Russia and its allies for Uranium—a mineral that powers approximately 20% of the United States’ electric grid as well as many of the U.S. Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers. America should not be reliant on our foreign adversaries like China and Russia to power our daily life. This week, I teamed up with Rep. Dan Newhouse to introduce the Critical Minerals Classification Improvement Act. Our legislation secures a domestic supply of critical minerals and bolsters American energy dominance. The United States is blessed with abundant natural resources. Unfortunately, climate alarmists have been fighting against reliable thermal power sources like natural gas and nuclear—leading to short-sighted policies that have crippled American energy independence. Read more about our work in our op-ed in the Washington Examiner here. Service Academy Appointees Over the weekend, my office hosted a fantastic Service Academy send-off with students from the 11th District who are attending military service academies this fall. These students are the future leaders of our country. I am proud to have played a small role in their heroic service to our country by nominating them to our premier military service academies. Their courage, ambition, and passion for our nation will take them far as they protect our freedoms. May God bless them as they begin their new adventures! 2022 Appointees include: U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY: Steven ‘Jayce’ Komppa - Colorado City HS, and Alessandra Jaspe Lagpacon - Midland Legacy HS U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY: Jackson Patrick - Goldthwaite HS U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY: James Fogle - Odessa HS, Ryan Felton - Granbury HS (2021 Graduate), and Zac Martin - Haltom City HS U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY: Sarah Folsom - Granbury HS Odessa Water Break  I want to thank all of our city and state leaders and workers for their diligence in restoring water to Odessa this week after the main line break. So many heroes worked around the clock to provide for our community. Thank you for your efforts! Mobile Office Hours This week, my Regional Director Carol Cunningham hosted Mobile Office Hours at the Mason Memorial Library. In case you missed it, we will be hosting additional Mobile Office Hours in Menard next week. All details are in the flyer found below. Please stop by to meet our Regional Direct and bring any issues you may be having with a federal agency. Follow us on social media to stay up to date on more locations coming soon! Want to read our Newsletter in Spanish? Sign up below! ¿Quieres leer nuestro Boletín en español? Regístrate aquí para el Boletín en español Thank you for reading. It is the honor of my lifetime to serve you in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and daily updates. Rep. August Pfluger Member of Congress ‌ ‌ ‌ Congressman August Pfluger | 1531 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]